Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Oliver and Samuel’s relationship is fairy-tale perfect. They share a gorgeous house in Antwerp, go out with their friends every weekend, and count down the days to their dream wedding. But their happy ending is shattered one late night, and just like that, Ollie is left

bereft and alone.

The months that follow are long and dark, but slowly Ollie emerges from his grief. He even braves the waters of online dating, though deep down he doesn’t believe he can find that connection again. He doesn’t think to look for love right in front of him: his bisexual friend Thomas, the gentle giant with a kind heart and sad eyes who’s wanted him all along.

When Thomas suddenly discovers he has a son who needs him, he’s ill prepared. Ollie opens up his house—Sam’s house—and lets them in. Ollie doesn’t know what scares him more: the responsibility of caring for a baby, or the way Thomas is steadily winning his heart. It will take all the courage he has to discover whether or not fairy tales can happen for real.

About Indra Vaughn

After living in Michigan, USA for seven wonderful years, Indra Vaughn returned back to her Belgian roots. There she will continue to consume herbal tea, do yoga wherever the mat fits, and devour books while single parenting a little boy and working as a nurse.

The stories of boys and their unrequited love will no doubt keep finding their way onto the page—and hopefully into readers hands—even if it takes a little more time.

And if she gleefully posts pictures of snow-free streets in winter, you'll have to forgive her. Those Michigan blizzards won't be forgotten in a hurry.

To celebrate, Indra is giving away an ebook from her backlist at EVERY BLOG STOP! She’ll also be giving out a grand prize of $25 in Riptide credit. Leave a comment to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on April 2, 2016. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

Friday, March 25, 2016

LAPD Detective Sean Hennessey has one person he's repeatedly tried to arrest and bring to justice: his nemesis, Mitchell Yates.

Yates has been in and out of trouble for years, always skating around the edges of LA’s underbelly; however, Sean can never pin anything on him.

But one night all of that changes.

Caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, instead of arresting Yates, Sean is rescued by him and taken to Yates’ home—a satellite high above Earth. There, Sean discovers a world he thought possible only in Science Fiction.Everything he believed he knew about Yates is turned upside down, and Sean must make a decision: to remain with the LAPD or join Yates and work toward intergalactic peace.

Buy

Links

Don’t miss the March Sale! All Wayward Ink Titles titles, including pre-orders, are 35% off on the WIP website and 30% off on AllRomance, and 30% off on Amazon. On Easter Weekend, the discount goes up to 50% on the WIP website.

Sean stood with a groan, confusion warring with disbelief that they could possibly be safe just because bullets had stopped flying in their direction.What the hell happened?
“Come on. Let’s get that taken care of.” Yates led him down the hall into another room, apparently a medical facility of some kind, with an examination table, and cabinets against one wall.
“What’s going on here, Yates? Where are we and how did we get here?”
A tall, slender, gray-haired man walked through the doorway. “Yana, I was told you were back and in need of Medical,” he said as he approached.
“I’m back, but it’s not me in need of care; it’s Sean Hennessey.” He nodded to Sean. “This is Noel. He’s a healer… a doctor.”
Noel looked toward Sean. “Yes, I see. Over here, please.” He motioned to the examining table and helped Hennessey remove his jacket.

Sean grimaced in pain as he undid his tie and unbuttoned his shirt, exposing the wound. The bullet had. Not a severe injury, but a bloody one. Noel took some gauze

squares from a container in the cupboard and held them to the wounapplying pressure for some time. Sean felt warmth in the area, and the raw pain eased. He was filled with a feeling of peace and serenity. When Noel removed the gauze, the wound had closed and only a reddish pucker remained.
Stunned, Sean wondered aloud, “I don’t know how you did that, but thank you.” He slipped his shirt and jacket back on.
“You’re most welcome, Mr. Hennessey. The shoulder will be a little sore for a day or two, but you should be fine.” With a smile, and a brief hug for Yates, Noel left the room.

About the Author

DONNA McINTOSH was born in Elmira, New York, grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, married a Texan and has lived all over Texas for the last thirty-plus years. Donna has four children, ran a Day Care Center for many years and has written fan fiction since she was thirteen.

Donna loves long walks so her mind can ramble. She loves reading and her tastes run from Historical novels, to Sci-Fi, Westerns, Classics, all the way to WWII and biographies. In short, anything that catches her eye.

Thursday, March 24, 2016

Welcome to the book tour for Marie Sexton's Trailer Trash. Be sure to leave a comment below to enter the giveaway!

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Hello, everybody! I'm Marie Sexton, and I'm here today to tell you about my New Adult novel, Trailer Trash. Trailer Trash is a sweet coming-of-age story about two high school seniors: Cody, who's dirt poor and literally lives on the wrong side of the tracks, and Nate, the preppy new kid in town. It's set in the fictional town of Warren, Wyoming, in the mid-1980s. It's full of angst and 80s pop culture references, and I promise, it has a happy ending. J

It’s 1986, and what should have been the greatest summer of Nate Bradford’s life goes sour when his parents suddenly divorce. Now, instead of spending his senior year in his hometown of Austin, Texas, he’s living with his father in Warren, Wyoming, population 2,833 (and Nate thinks that might be a generous estimate). There’s no swimming pool, no tennis team, no mall—not even any MTV. The entire school’s smaller than his graduating class back home, and in a town where the top teen pastimes are sex and drugs, Nate just doesn’t fit in.Then Nate meets Cody Lawrence. Cody’s dirt-poor, from a broken family, and definitely lives on the wrong side of the tracks. Nate’s dad says Cody’s bad news. The other kids say he’s trash. But Nate knows Cody’s a good kid who’s been dealt a lousy hand. In fact, he’s beginning to think his feelings for Cody go beyond friendship.Admitting he might be gay is hard enough, but between small-town prejudices and the growing AIDS epidemic dominating the headlines, a town like Warren, Wyoming, is no place for two young men to fall in love.

About Marie Sexton

Marie Sexton lives in Colorado. She’s a fan of just about anything that involves muscular young men piling on top of each other. In particular, she loves the Denver Broncos and enjoys going to the games with her husband. Her imaginary friends often tag along.

Marie has one daughter, two cats, and one dog, all of whom seem bent on destroying what remains of her sanity. She loves them anyway.

To celebrate, Marie is giving away a $50 gift card to either Amazon or All Romance Ebooks, winner’s choice. Leave a comment to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on March 26, 2016. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. Entries. Thanks for followingthe tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

About Our Gay Guy/Straight Girl (GGSG) Reviews~I’ll show you mine if you show me yours~This isn’t a buddy read. Our co-reviews are done on a blind basis. We both choose the book we want to read, but from there on out we don’t discuss any of our thoughts before the review is live. We think it’s more fun this way and we won’t influence each other.Three QuestionsWe’ll form 3 questions for each other during our read to be answered in the comments below the review. Please feel free to join in our discussion, we’re always happy to know what you think.

INITIAL THOUGHTS

Lisa Arbitrary

When I read the blurb for this I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. It sounded full of action, solid world-building and romance. I wasn't disappointed. It's what I hoped for with the added bonus of more to come. I admit I didn't know it was YA, but I had no trouble enjoying this read.

OJ

When Lisa approached me about doing a GayGuy/StraightGirl review on The Star Host my first reaction was “I don’t do YA.” I mean, not that there’s anything wrong with it, it’s just that my tastes have changed over the years, and then… I read the blurb. Hooked I was, read it I must! This checked off almost every box I would have gravitated to read as young gayling, and it turned out to be a blast!

THE CHARACTERS

LA

Ren - You can take a boy from his planet, but you can't take the star from the boy...or something like that. Ren is homegrown, unsophisticated and naive with a heart of stardust, it seems. Watching his eyes open to the larger world is intriguing. Watching him learn to harden that heart is somber. Watching him learn love is charming.Asher - Handsome, sophisticated, military trained, Asher knows things. Things he can't share. Things he must share.

OJ

Ren - Ren was older than Liam by two years. They shared a mother, but not a father. Ren’s father was a member of a Phoenix Corps regiment that had passed through their village eighteen years ago. Ren never knew him. And while Liam took after their mother—short, stocky and fair—Ren was his father’s child, tall and gangly with dark hair and dark eyes. *Liam is Ren's younger brother

Asher - He heard a shuffle of feet from the shadows of the other cell, and then a man stepped into the light. He leaned on the iron grid that separated the cells with his arms bent above his head and his fingers dangling. The sparse light cast a halo on his greasy blond hair. His clothes were finer than anything Ren owned, but they were worn and dirty from the cell. He was young, probably a little older than Ren but not by many years, and his body was lean, stretched out along the slats.

THE STORY

LA

Ren is a backwoods boy about to have his world expand beyond even his dreams. Beginning with a frantic opening scene involving chase and capture this story starts with pulse-pounding excitement. Torn from family and friends, Ren is thrust into a dungeon cell where he awaits his fate at the hands of a powerful general who can control Ren's will.Ren's only source of information is from a cheeky, arrogant "drifter" in the next cell. Together they must find a way to trust each other enough to get word to the Phoenix Corps that the siege here is about to expand to the star system.Castles and star ships, fiefs and force fields, the world building here is a strange and intriguing mix. The tender and youthful romance is PG rated, but grows in believable increments. This action/adventure should appeal to a wide range of readers. Watch for glimpses of Firefly, Star Trek, and other familiar SciFi influences.

OJ

What a great story line this turned out to be, so much so that reading it was a pleasure and a sweet return to the books I loved in my younger years. I yearned for those fantastic, far away science fiction stories, with the handsome, brave hero and his sidekick and their journeys through space, fighting through an awesome adventure, and this story has all those magical elements in it, and more. Now the hero’s sidekick is also his romantic interest! wooHOO! Just what a young gayling like myself would have loved.

THE WRITING

LA

Though this is a bit of an easy reader, maybe as a nod towards a younger audience, I found the content entertaining and engaging. The exciting and energetic beginning levels out and I felt a bit of a let down in the midsection. Though the adventure continues throughout it read a bit slower once Ren and Asher are traveling through space. Maybe that was intended as Ren complains about being bored and the author made me feel that a bit too. Still, there is a nice build toward a showdown in the final chapters. And the subtle but lovely romantic relationship is warm and gentle and just perfect for these two young men.

OJ

Yeah, the writing! Excellent. It flows so well, in a logical, if at times expected, story arc and I can forgive the ‘expected’ part as this is really good stuff. No hiccups, no weird sentence structures and undecipherable story twists, just good, straightforward science fiction.

The romantic quotient was just right, perhaps a tad on the mild side, and develops at the steady progression of two young men coming of age romantically,the pull of their attraction increasing through each new, fantastic adventure and escapade. There are no explosive sex scenes here, they’re not meant to be in this book and the writer carries it off in a sweet, smooth style.

The characters, all of them, are well developed. The MCs are so well done you feel connected to them. SCs are thoroughly carried out so you never feel a questioning about any of them. Brava!

I am definitely planning on reading Broken Moon Book 2.

THREE QUESTIONS

For OJ

1) Did you, like me, see SciFi references that made you think of other popular SciFi titles?2) Was the romance too timid for their age?3) Which secondary character would you like to see developed more?

For Lisa

1) So, what exactly called to you about this book as a Straight Girl and/or otherwise?2) What did you think of the romantic quotient of this book? Would you have done anything differently romantically?3) How would you classify this book, reading-wise? A guilty pleasure, or good escapism, or…?

BlurbRen grew up listening to his mother tell stories about the Star Hosts – a mythical group of people possessed by the power of the stars. The stories were the most exciting part of Ren’s life, and he often dreamed about leaving his backwater planet and finding his place among the neighboring drifts. When Ren is captured by soldiers and taken from his home, his dream slips further out of his grasp. Now a slave of a despotic Baron, Ren must remain inconspicuous while plotting his escape. It’s a challenge since the general of the Baron’s army is convinced Ren is something out of one of his mother’s stories.

Ren finds companionship in the occupant of the cell next to his, a drifter named Asher. A member of the Phoenix Corps, Asher is mysterious, charming, and exactly the person Ren needs to anchor him as his sudden technopathic ability threatens to consume him. Ren doesn’t mean to become attached, but after a daring escape, a trek across the planet, and an eventful ride on a merchant ship, Asher is the only thing that reminds Ren of home. Together, they must warn the drifts of the Baron’s plans, master Ren’s growing power, and try to save their friends while navigating the growing attraction between them.

About the Author

F.T. wrote her first short story when she was in third grade and her love of writing continued from there. After placing in the top five out of ten thousand entries in a writing contest, she knew it was time to dive in and try her hand at writing a novel.

A wife and mother of three, F.T. holds degrees in psychology and English literature, and is a long-time member of her college’s science-fiction club. F.T. has a love of cheesy television shows, superhero movies, and science-fiction novels—especially anything by Douglas Adams.

Saturday, March 19, 2016

Welcome to the cover reveal for an upcoming release by Donna McIntosh. This one is right up our alley, guys. Check out the synopsis and excerpt and cool trailer. OJ and I can't wait to read this. We'll let you know our take soon as we plan to do a Gay Guy Straight Girl review on this one.

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Synopsis

LAPD Detective Sean Hennessey has one person he’s repeatedly tried to arrest and bring to justice: his nemesis, Mitchell Yates.

Yates has been in and out of trouble for years, always skating around the edges of LA’s underbelly; however, Sean can never pin anything on him.

But one night all of that changes.

Caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, instead of arresting Yates, Sean is rescued by him and taken to Yates’ home—a satellite high above Earth. There, Sean discovers a world he thought possible only in Science Fiction.

Everything he believed he knew about Yates is turned upside down, and Sean must make a decision: to remain with the LAPD or join Yates and work toward intergalactic peace.

Pre-order Links

Don’t miss the March Sale! All Wayward Ink Titles titles, including pre-orders, are 35% off on the WIP website and 30% off on AllRomance, and 30% off on Amazon.

Excerpt

DETECTIVE SEAN HENNESSEY entered the underground parking facility at his apartment complex and spotted a familiar face. “What the hell is he doing here?” he muttered into the darkness. He pulled up a short distance away from the other vehicle and cut the motor. “What are you up to now, you son of a bitch?” He scanned the area for any sign of trouble, while keeping a careful eye on his old nemesis, Mitchell Yates, who sat in a car two rows over.

Most law enforcement officers with any length of duty had one particular suspect who always seemed to get away. Sean’s was Yates. Over the years, he had been unable to pin anything on Yates to secure his arrest; no matter how many times the man had been either directly involved in or skated around the edges of a crime. Yates managed to slip away at the last moment, or, if caught, always had a solid alibi. Yates was dirty; Sean was sure about that. He was determined to find something on which to bring the man in, and make it stick.

Yates’ presence set Sean’s gut churning. Something had to be up, but he couldn’t see anything, and he couldn’t stay in his car all night. After another quick scan, he opened his door and warily stepped out of his vehicle. Shots rang out. Before he could draw his gun, it felt like someone had slammed him in the shoulder with a burning sledgehammer. He fell back against his car, then hit the cement floor. More shots were fired. Fighting a wave of pain, he heard running footsteps coming his way. Someone tugged on him, pulling him to his feet.

“Come on, Hennessey. Get up. I can’t carry yo.” More shots rang out as Yates hauled Sean to his car, shoved him to the floorboard of the front seat, vaulted over him into the driver’s seat, and keyed the ignition.

“What’s going on and what the hell are you doing here?” Sean demanded, grasping his shoulder in pain as bullets pinged off their vehicle. The windshield burst into a million pieces, showering him with glass. “Who are those people and what do they want?”

Book Trailer

About the Author

DONNA McINTOSH was born in Elmira, New York, grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, married a Texan and has lived all over Texas for the last thirty-plus years. Donna has four children, ran a Day Care Center for many years and has written fan fiction since she was thirteen.

Donna loves long walks so her mind can ramble. She loves reading and her tastes run from Historical novels, to Sci-Fi, Westerns, Classics, all the way to WWII and biographies. In short, anything that catches her eye.

BlurbTrace is nursing a broken heart. He lost his job, his boyfriend of two years was cheating on him, and his apartment building burned right to the ground with all his worldly possessions. It was time for Trace to get out of Minnesota.So Trace heads for Texas and Riven Creek Ranch, the horse farm his aunt Lois owns. But hours before he arrives, Lois is in a terrible car accident that nearly takes her life, and Trace finds himself in charge of the ranch kitchen. Sounds simple enough and it's the least he can do for his recuperating aunt.

Then Sawyer happens.Sawyer is his aunt's big, beautiful, muscle bound, incredibly sexy straight ranch manager. Someone who has no clue Trace is gay. And meeting the big man should have been okay, except it was in the middle of his aunt's kitchen at five in the morning and Trace was nearly naked. Embarrassing? Yep. But the very next day Trace proceeded to ramp up his embarrassment by quantum leaps when he nearly sets his aunt's house on fire and the brooding Sawyer has to come to the rescue.Seems like Trace's "luck" followed him.Not to mention that Aunt Lois's "accident" was actually attempted murder. And now, they just might want Trace dead, too.Can Trace figure out who's behind the attempts on his aunt's life AND keep Sawyer from finding out he's hot for the cowboy?He probably can’t. But he’s going to try.Pages or Words: 60,000 wordsCategories: Contemporary, Crime Fiction, Erotica, Fiction, Gay Fiction, Humor, M/M Romance, Mystery, Romance, Thriller, Western/Cowboy

I am trying to get to know what it takes to run a horse ranch. I understand you are now in charge of the kitchen and the finances of Riven Creek ranch.

Yes, I guess I am. I’m not sure why my aunt thinks I can do this but she has always been supportive of me. I can hardly turn my back on her now that she needs me.

I heard she was in quite a serious accident.

Nearly killed her.

She’s doing well now though, right?

She is doing fine. She has a lot of rehabilitation ahead of her which is why she has me doing…well – this.

What is “this” exactly?

Well, should be simply enough, really. I am supposed to provide breakfast for the main employees of the ranch. The managers and heads of certain areas of the ranch like the barns and the maintenance and things.

How many people is that?

Ten. Ten hungry men.

Wow. Ten hungry men, huh?

Don’t make fun of me. Yeah, I know. Shouldn’t be that big of a deal but like I told my aunt, I can barely cook for myself. Making any meal for ten people is a huge challenge.

So that’s all you do? Make breakfast?

(Sighs) No. I have to make lunch, too. And snacks and I’m supposed to run water and coffee like a lot. I know it sounds easy but… well, it’s not.

(Chuckles) How about the finances. Those can’t be that simple either.

Oh, the finances are a breeze. Once I get to know the expenses I will have no problem with them. It’s what I went to school for. Numbers are easy for me.

But I understand it involves a lot of money.

It’s like any business. There’s income and outgo. Simple. Here that translates into foals as the income and feed, equipment and insurance, etc. as outgo. Yes, all of it is very expensive. But it’s all straight forward; black and white. There might be room sometimes to question a bill, question why we are with certain companies, but for the most part, all those decisions are sound. All I have to do is make sure everything is paid in a timely fashion and it’s all entered correctly on all the spread sheets for the CPA.

I would think one of those larger expenses would be the payroll.

Oh yes, absolutely.

Do you have say in how much should be devoted to that?

(Laughs) No. Not at all. I wouldn’t have the first clue right now how many people it takes to keep things running smoothly out there in the barns and such. Sawyer is in charge of all that.

Ahhh. Sawyer Elliot, the ranch manager. Tell me, what do you think of him?

Hmmm. No reason. Just wondering why she insists on you helping instead of hiring someone who – excuse this the way it sounds – knows what they are doing?

(Shrugs) I have no idea. I asked her the same thing.

Seems rather suspicious, don’t you think? Maybe she knows something you don’t?

Like what?

(Laughs) Never mind. But I think this is going to get very interesting in the next several weeks.

What will?

Riven Creek Ranch, Trace. Riven Creek ranch.

Excerpt“Sawyer! Damn. You scared me.” Trace fell back against the freezer suddenly feeling light headed. He took in the big body blocking any escape he had and his cock twitched as if it liked the idea there was no way out. “I didn’t hear you… behind me.”“I saw your car in the driveway. How’s Lois?”Trace shook his head in an attempt to clear it. “She’s awake and very alert… but…” But someone wants her dead. Who? Someone on this ranch? Could it be Sawyer? I trust him with my life… That’s what she said.“But what?”Trace looked up into hard cold eyes. The question was genuine. He cared about the condition of his aunt. But what condition did he care her to be in? “Nothing… just… well… I guess you’re going to have to know… I mean…” Damn, he had to stop acting like a horny teenager in front of this man. “Let me… I’m going to make coffee…”“It’s made. The big insulated urn on the counter is full. Just made it about a half hour ago so it’s fine.”“Oh. Good. Let’s sit down. I need to sit down.” Trace took a few steps forward which brought him right in front of the cowboy. He expected Sawyer to move, to back up, but he didn’t. Then Trace did the unthinkable. His body reacted on its own as he put his hand on the big man’s chest and pushed. There would have been no way on God’s green earth he would have been able to physically move the cowboy without his express permission, not to mention help. But Trace’s brain seemed to totally malfunction in this man’s presence.And, as expected, being pushed in any direction was never going to work for Sawyer. Sawyer grabbed his wrist, twisted it tight behind Trace, which brought Trace up solid, against Sawyer’s hard body, chest to chest. Being several inches taller, Sawyer glared down into Trace’s shocked face, a smoldering look in his eyes. Trace could feel Sawyer’s hot breath on his face, sense the man’s tense muscles from his pecs down through his thighs…Buy the Book

Meet the AuthorHurri Cosmo lives in Minnesota where she holds tight to the idea that there, where it’s cold a good part of the year, she won’t age as fast. Yep, she avoids the truth as much as she avoids mirrors. But one of the reasons she loves writing is reality doesn’t always offer up a “happily ever after” and being able to take control of that is a powerful lure. Being a happy ending junkie, writing just makes them easier to find. Oh, she doesn’t mind “real life” and she does try to at least keep it in mind when she writes her stories, but she truly loves creating a wonderful couple, knowing they will fall in love and have their HEA. Every - single - time. And, of course, that is exactly the reason she loves reading this genre, too. Give her a glass of red wine, some dark chocolate, and her computer, whether she is reading or writing, and she will entertain herself for hours. The fact she actually gets paid to do it is Snickers bars on the frosting on the cake.Where to Find the AuthorFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/hurri.cosmoTwitter: https://twitter.com/HurriCosmoWebsite: www.hurricosmo.comBlog: http://hurricosmo.blogspot.com/